Device for holding a flexible tube, sealed at one end, and intended to contain a viscous product

ABSTRACT

The invention relates to a device  1  for holding a cylindrical tube  2  vertical, comprising a central cavity  8,  the bottom of which is made up of a groove  15  capable of receiving the sealed bottom end  6  of the tube  2,  and the opening of which  5  is mouth-shaped.

The invention relates to a device for holding, with a view to filling, aflexible tube, sealed at one end, and intended to contain a viscousproduct, in the form of a paste or gel, for example.

Sealed tubes are filled by the neck. Filling by the neck makes itpossible to avoid the dead volume observed in tubes filled by the bottombefore sealing. This results in a dual advantage: firstly, anoptimization of the useful volume in the tube and secondly a betterpreservation of the product contained in the tube. By virtue of theirshape, sealed tubes are generally filled manually or in a semi-automatedmanner.

For certain applications, flexible tubes with integral emptying areproposed.

These tubes comprise a deformable pocket which accompanies the productas it is being extracted by manual pumping, with the result thatexternal air does not enter the tube.

The technical problem to be solved so that the filling of the sealedtubes is automated is that of holding the tubes and centering them inthe vertical position with the neck at the top. Specifically, at thestart, the tube is cylindrical with an upper end bearing a neck capableof receiving a cap, which is screwed for example, and an open lower end.When the open lower end is sealed by clamping for example, the length ofthe closure is greater than the diameter of the tube. On the one hand,the closure is in a straight or curved line and cannot, alone, serve asa seat for stably holding the tube in a vertical position and, on theother hand, the guiding of the tube by a cylindrical clamp, evenpartially open, cannot ensure with certainty and security the freepassage of the closed end of the tube. Moreover, if the tube is carriedby a clamp, holding it imposes a lateral constraint to the detriment ofits filling.

One object of the invention is to provide a device for holding andcentering a flexible tube, sealed at one end, and intended to contain aviscous product, which does not have at least one of the aforementioneddrawbacks and which is simple and practical to use.

Another object of the invention is to provide a device for holding aflexible tube, sealed at one end, in a vertical position, the devicebeing able to be moved on a common automatic filling chain forconventional bottles or tubes.

Another object is to facilitate the production of the device which maybe in one piece, unlike a device with clamps, and for which oneparticular production method is molding with a template.

The subject of the invention is a device for holding a flexible tube,sealed at one end, and intended to contain a viscous product, the tubebeing of general cylindrical shape and held substantially verticallywith its sealed lower end, characterized in that it comprises a centralcavity of which the bottom consists of a groove capable of receiving thesealed lower end of the tube and of which the opening is mouth-shaped.

Advantageously, the opening in its largest dimension receives the sealedend of the tube, and in its smallest dimension receives the cylindricalpart of the tube.

In an advantageous manner, the opening is composed of two symmetricalcircular arcs connected to two commissures placed at the ends of thelargest dimension of the opening.

Advantageously, the largest horizontal dimension of the cavity remainssubstantially constant between the opening and the bottom so that thesealed lower end of the tube descends to the bottom and bears againstit.

In an advantageous manner, in the plane passing through the smallestdimension of the opening, the outline of the cavity descends from theopening in two lines which are at first parallel and then approach oneanother to join up at the bottom of the cavity.

The invention will be better understood, and other aims, details,features and advantages thereof will become more clearly apparent, fromthe following description of a particular embodiment of the inventiongiven purely by way of nonlimiting illustrative example, with referenceto the appended drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the device for holdingthe flexible tube according to the invention;

FIG. 2 is a view in section along the plane of symmetry passing throughthe groove of the bottom of the device of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a view in section along the plane of symmetry perpendicular tothe groove of the bottom of the device, that is to say perpendicular tothe plane of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a plan view of the device for holding the flexible tube ofFIG. 1.

In the exemplary embodiment of the figures, the device for holding theflexible tube 2 has a cylindrical outer shape and a substantiallyelliptical base 3, but these geometrical shapes are not imperative. Theupper face 4 of the device 1 has a mouth-shaped opening 5 of which thelargest dimension receives the sealed end 6 of the tube and of which thesmallest dimension receives the cylindrical part 7 of the tube 2. Belowthe opening 5, the holding device 1 has a central cavity 8 of which thelargest horizontal dimension remains substantially constant to thebottom of the cavity 8 so that the sealed lower end 6 of the tube 2 candescend to the bottom and bear against it, the tube 2 then beingvertical and open at the top with a view to its filling (FIG. 2).

In the plane of symmetry of the cavity 8 passing through the largestdimension of the opening 5, the outline of the cavity 8 is substantiallyrectangular. In the plane of symmetry of the cavity 8 perpendicular tothe preceding one, that is to say in the plane passing through thesmallest dimension of the opening 5, the outline of the cavity 8descends from the opening 5 in two lines 9, 10 which are at firstparallel and then approach one another to join up at the bottom of thecavity 8 (FIG. 3). The curvature of the lines 9, 10 substantiallycorresponds to the shape of the lower part of the tube 2 perpendicularlyto its sealed end 6. The bottom of the cavity 8 consists of a groove 15capable of guiding the sealed end 6 of the tube 2, whether this end isrectilinear or curved.

Thus, in its smallest transverse dimension, the cavity 8 hassubstantially the same profile as the tube 2 and ensures that it ismaintained stably in position.

The device 1 for holding the tube 2 is rigid and stable and ensures thatthe tube 2 is held on a chain for filling the tube and then for sealingand/or closing the upper part of the tube 2. The shape of the cavity 8ensures the insertion of the empty tube 2, the centering of the tube 2,the holding of the tube 2 during its high-speed filling, the protectionof the outer decoration of the tube 2, and the release of the tube 2 orits ejection by tilting, for example.

The inner dimensions of the cavity 8 are adapted to a tube format. Theshape and the outer dimensions of the holding device are adapted to thedemands of the tube filling chain. The holding device is advantageouslyproduced in the form of a plastic block which may be apertured to agreater or lesser extent.

The opening 5 at the upper part of the holding device is composed of twosymmetrical circular arcs 11, 12, each of about 30 to 90°, intended tohold the tube in its cylindrical part, the circular arcs being connectedto two commissures 13, 14 placed at the ends of the largest dimension ofthe opening 5 (FIG. 4).

It is not necessary to provide a contact zone between the device and thetube over the entire surface of the tube. All that is required is tohave an annular zone with a mouth-shaped opening which holds the upperpart of the tube and a base provided with a groove to hold the sealedend. The annular zone and the base may be connected by a rigid bar. Theexposed zones of the tube may in particular allow the marking of thebatch number on the tube on the automated filling line without removingthe tube from the device. Moreover, limiting the contact zonesfacilitates insertion and ejection of the tube. The device with solidwalls as appears in the drawings is therefore a particular embodiment.

The invention has been described in a particular embodiment by way ofnonlimiting illustrative example and it covers the technical equivalentsthereof.

1. A device for holding a flexible tube, sealed at one end, and intendedto contain a viscous product, the tube (2) being of general cylindricalshape and held substantially vertically with its sealed lower end,characterized in that it comprises a central cavity (8) of which thebottom consists of a groove (15) capable of receiving the sealed lowerend (6) of the tube (2) and of which the opening (5) is mouth-shaped. 2.The holding device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that theopening (5) in its largest dimension receives the sealed end (6) of thetube (2), and in its smallest dimension receives the cylindrical part(7) of the tube.
 3. The holding device as claimed in claim 1,characterized in that the opening (5) is composed of two symmetricalcircular arcs (11, 12) connected to two commissures (13, 14) placed atthe ends of the largest dimension of the opening (5).
 4. The holdingdevice as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that the largesthorizontal dimension of the cavity (8) remains substantially constantbetween the opening (5) and the bottom so that the sealed lower end (6)of the tube (2) descends to the bottom and bears against it.
 5. Theholding device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, in theplane passing through the smallest dimension of the opening (5), theoutline of the cavity (8) descends from the opening (5) in two lines (9,10) which are at first parallel and then approach one another to join upat the bottom of the cavity (8).